This has been a totally no-expenses-spared project. Using the original 3-track work tapes from Capitol’s vaults, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman along with DSD specialist Gus Skinas bring you an entirely incomparable listening experience. In addition to the stereo mixes, this download includes the original mono mix taken from separate microphone feeds, mixing consoles and tape machines at the original sessions. In order to master from the 3-track masters, AcousTech had to be outfitted for 3-channel playback. That meant Kevin Gray had to find a third identical monitoring channel chain (including mixing board, amplifier and speaker) as well as a 3-track playback headstack and also a 3-track preview head for the vinyl cutting system. It was a massive assignment. We’ve spent a fortune to include these extra bells and whistles and to make this a truly historic reissue.

In what some consider his last great album prior to his tragic passing, Nat “King” Cole approached the dramatic dark side of love in the spirit of Sinatra’s saloon songs to timeless, haunting effect with the album Where Did Everyone Go? The distinctive orchestrations of Gordon Jenkins for strings accompany the intimately expressive and supremely musical voice of the incomparable Nat “King” Cole in such classic songs as “Someone To Tell It To,” “I Keep Going Back To Joe’s,” “Spring Is Here,” “The End Of A Love Affair” and other reflections of one who had and now has not. Nat “King” Cole and arranger Gordon Jenkins followed their hit albums Love Is The Thing and The Very Thought Of You with this striking shift toward the dramatic. The result again stands among its era’s finest, most stylistically defining recordings of popular music and still retains its grand sense of tragedy and beauty.

Two bonus tracks recorded for the album, “A Farewell to Arms” and “Happy New Year,” are included for their first release in original production quality. Originally released in 1963.

This has been a totally no-expenses-spared project. Using the original 3-track work tapes from Capitol’s vaults, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman along with DSD specialist Gus Skinas bring you an entirely incomparable experience. In addition to the stereo mixes, this DSD includes a 3-track transfer for multichannel playback and the original mono mix taken from separate microphone feeds, mixing consoles and tape machines at the original sessions. In order to master from the 3-track masters, AcousTech had to be outfitted for 3-channel playback. That meant Kevin Gray had to find a third identical monitoring channel chain (including mixing board, amplifier and speaker) as well as a 3-track playback headstack and also a 3-track preview head for the vinyl cutting system. It was a massive assignment. We’ve spent a fortune to include these extra bells and whistles and to make this a truly historic reissue.

Love is the theme for 12 ballads of heavenly strings orchestrated by the distinctive Gordon Jenkins, sympathetically backing the intimately expressive and supremely musical voice of the incomparable Nat “King” Cole. Featuring such legendary classics as “Stardust” and “When I Fall In Love,” this album topped the charts upon its release, is among its era’s finest, most stylistically defining recordings of popular music and continues to enchant listeners to this day.

Love Is The Thing was recorded in finely polished monaural and more minimalistic 3-channel stereophonic versions, each with dedicated microphones, console, mix and recorders. Each offers a different sonic perspective. The monaural recording was heard on the original hit records while the stereophonic recording offers the potential for a stunning wide-range realism. Using the original first generation full-track mono and 3-track session tapes from Capitol’s vaults and custom headstacks, console and monitoring chain installed at AcousTech specially for these releases, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman along with DSD specialist Gus Skinas bring you an entirely incomparable experience.

This has been a totally no-expenses-spared project. Using the original 3-track work tapes from Capitol’s vaults, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman along with DSD specialist Gus Skinas bring you an entirely incomparable experience. In addition to the stereo mixes, this SACD includes a 3-track transfer for multichannel playback and the original mono mix taken from separate microphone feeds, mixing consoles and tape machines at the original sessions. In order to master from the three-track masters, AcousTech had to be outfitted for 3-channel playback. That meant Kevin Gray had to find a third identical monitoring channel chain (including mixing board, amplifier and speaker) as well as a 3-track playback headstack and also a 3-track preview head for the vinyl cutting system. It was a massive assignment. We’ve spent a fortune to include these extra bells and whistles and to make this a truly historic reissue.

An influential figure in the early 20th century development of blues and popular music as a music scholar and the composer of numerous popular songs, William Christopher Handy has often been called “the Father of the Blues.” When two of the finest and most popular of mid-20th century musical figures, jazz and popular music icon Nat “King” Cole and style setting arranger extraordinare Nelson Riddle, undertook an album dedicated to the music of W.C. Handy, the results were at once a worthy tribute and transformative. Particularly smooth vocals by Nat King Cole were aptly backed by resourceful orchestrations from Nelson Riddle. From the landmark laments of “St. Louis Blues” and the loving appreciation of “Morning Star” on through to the colloquial rag of “Joe Turner’s Blues,” the varied facets of Handy’s songs were given a lastingly freshened interpretation. Along with the contemporary Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (also available here at Acoustic Sounds), this album is considered by many to be the best anthology of the music of W.C. Handy.

This has been a totally no-expenses-spared project. Using the original 3-track work tapes from Capitol’s vaults, mastering engineers Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman along with DSD specialist Gus Skinas bring you an entirely incomparable experience. In order to master from the 3-track masters, AcousTech had to be outfitted for three-channel playback. That meant Kevin Gray had to find a third identical monitoring channel chain (including mixing board, amplifier and speaker) as well as a 3-track playback headstack and also a 3-track preview head for the vinyl cutting system. It was a massive assignment. We’ve spent a fortune to include these extra bells and whistles and to make this a truly historic reissue.

Contrasting downbeat ballads with an ironic brassy, upbeat big band attitude, the ironic Cole Porter standard Just One Of Those Things sets the tone for a distinctive, pungent experience of love and disillusionment with a swing. Brilliantly backing the intimately expressive and supremely musical voice of the incomparable Nat “King” Cole, a big band with no “strings” smolders, swings, saunters, storms, sighs and sizzles with the arrangements of the distinctive Billy May. Featuring top shelf interpretations of “These Foolish Things,” “Who’s Sorry Now?” “The Party’s Over” and more, this album is among its era’s finest recordings of popular music and its quality, style and spirit remains unexcelled.

Just One Of Those Things was recorded in finely polished monaural and more minimalistic 3-channel stereophonic versions, each with dedicated microphones, console, mix and recorders. Each offers a different sonic perspective. The monaural recording was heard on the original hit records while the stereophonic recording offers the potential for a stunning wide-range realism. The bonus track, an alternative take of “Just For The Fun Of It,” is mono only.

This 1957 release from Nat King Cole peaked at number 13 on US album charts and marks the last album Cole recorded with jazz flavour. Despite being billed as a trio recording, Cole is joined on these sessions by musicians including Harry “Sweets” Edison on trumpet and other guests contributing sax, violin, trombone and even bongos.

In this felicitous blending of Nat “King” Cole’s supreme talents as jazz pianist and vocalist with small combos featuring fellow jazz alumni, classic pop and jazz met in a wildly successful brew. A combination of new and familiar songs are featured, including fresh recordings of classic hits like “Route 66”. Musicians include Harry “Sweets” Edison, Juan Tizol, Lee Young, Stuff Smith and Willie Smith augmenting his famous Trio. In addition to the full original album, five additional tracks and two alternates take from the original sessions are included in this release. Mellow, classy, focused and vibrant, After Midnight was a hit and an instant classic upon its release in 1957 and remains a gem to treasure today.

Recorded in the wee small hours in January 1960 in front of a select crowd of casino guests and other Las Vegas entertainers, this album was billed at the time as Nat King Cole’s only live recording. Accompanied by a big band arranged by Dave Cavanaugh, Cole plays piano and sings standards and old favourites including The Surrey With The Fringe On Top and Miss Otis Regrets.

Nat King Coles reigns among music royalty as one of the most identifiable and most memorable voices in American music. The Extraordinary showcases the ultra-hip cool side of Nat, featuring 22 tracks including many greatest hits, 2 duets with Dean Martin and a previously unreleased track “You’re Wrong All Wrong.”

The Deluxe Edition adds 14 tracks including 5 previously unreleased songs and 5 previously unreleased alternate takes. Among those featured are 2 special duets with daughters Natalie and Carole Cole, one of which (“What to Do”) is previously unreleased. (more…)

Just One of Those Things is a theme album comparable to one of Frank Sinatra’s uptempo swing albums of the same period (Come Fly With Me, etc.), and employs the same arranger/conductor, Billy May. Nat King Cole is a bit less effective than Sinatra at uptempo material; he tends to undersing these sprightly standards, and May saves his dramatic horn charts and percussion shots for moments when Cole is away from the microphone. Even so, by the fifth track, “These Foolish Things Remind Me of You,” May has retreated to ballad time, and though his embellishments threaten to break out behind the singer, Cole gives an assured, unhurried performance. And that’s the point: that Cole has tamed the rambunctious May does not mean he doesn’t give wonderful interpretations to some wonderful songs: “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” “Just One of Those Things,” “The Song Is Ended (But the Melody Lingers On).” And the light-handed swing supports those efforts well. (more…)

The filmed version of W.C. Handy’s life, St. Louis Blues, is a fictional abomination full of every bad cliché that Hollywood could come up with. Its one saving grace was the dignified performance given by Nat King Cole in the lead role (even if Handy was never a singing pianist). This LP, in addition to featuring Nelson Riddle’s “Overture” from the film, finds Cole singing ten of Handy’s finest compositions (including “Beale Street Blues,” “Careless Love” and the title song) while backed by an orchestra playing Riddle’s arrangements. (more…)

This is the third and final collection to feature the team of Nat King Cole and Gordon Jenkins (arranger). Their earlier collaborations yielded the uniformly superior chart-topper Love Is the Thing (1957) and follow-up The Very Thought of You (1958). As the moniker suggests, there is a perceptible poignancy and longing weaved throughout Jenkins’ arrangements. The opener “Where Did Everyone Go?” possesses a solitude accentuated by responsive instrumentation that supports, yet never intrudes. Cole’s practically conversational delivery of pop standards — such as Irving Berlin’s “Say It Isn’t So” or Johnny Mercer’s “When the World Was Young” — become musical soliloquies with the score as a sonic subtext. His rich and cozy baritone carries the ache of “Am I Blue?” and the slinky “I Keep Goin’ Back to Joe’s” into an understated, almost plaintive blues. Here he perfectly demonstrates a boundless capacity as a melodic interpreter of song. “No, I Don’t Want Her” finds Cole’s voice gilded with an intimacy that virtually takes the listener into the singer’s confidence. As he had done on his previous outings with Cole, Jenkins supplies one selection. Suitably “That’s All There Is, There Isn’t Any More” is the last track on the album and certainly provides a lovely contrast to Judy Garland’s arguably more familiar reading. (more…)